“Let’s inspect the kitchen,” Virginia urged. “Probably the drain won’t work.”
The sink proved to be an attractive new unit with shiny faucets and an unmarred enamel finish. Judy, testing the drain, found that it worked perfectly.
Ardeth had turned her attention to the big electric refrigerator. When she plugged in the cord, the machinery began to hum.
“Nothing out-of-order here,” she reported.
Miss Ward meanwhile, quietly had been checking the kitchen doors. One opened onto a back porch and another into a storage room. The third one, which apparently led down to the cellar, was locked.
She turned the knob and rattled it a couple of times.
“Any key?” Judy inquired.
“None in the door.”
“Why do you suppose it’s kept locked?” Ardeth speculated. “Is there any reason why we shouldn’t inspect the cellar? After all, it’s part of the cottage.”
“In a way, it isn’t,” Judy remarked. “I’m certain from examining the foundation of this place, that the cottage was built on an old base.”